A Promise
by Lily Hanson
Summary: TWOSHOT - Terran's gone, but he did leave his family with one thing: nightmares. Is he ever coming home? Follows - Way of the Samurai: The Danger Rises.
1. The Dreams

_Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Power Rangers: (Super) Samurai. This is purely fan-made._

_Author's Note: For those who just started reading the series, if you don't alredy have me on author alert, you might want to think about it. For the next little while it'll be short stories and oneshots from me._

* * *

Serena stood nervously on the doorstep of a big house – a mansion, really.

She was not the same person anymore. Years of war and loss had changed her, but the one thing that stayed the same was her desire to return to her son. After sixteen long, grueling years, it was finally time.

With the added threat of Serrator, Dekker, and Dayu, it had taken much, much longer to defeat Master Xandred than it had taken any team before, and his defeat, a true defeat, had come at a price.

The Tengen Gate was gone, burned to the ground. Very few of the guardians managed to escape. Those who had either died in hospital or were going to spend the rest of their lives confined to a bed as a result of the very severe injuries they suffered.

The Shiba House – gone.

Ji was alive, but still comatose and every day it was looking worse. The only reason he was still alive was because Jayden refused to pull the plug.

Antonio was dead. He died taking a hit for Jayden from Xandred. His sacrifice saved Jayden and the entire world, but that was no comfort to Jayden.

Mia was dead as well. She survived to see the end of the Nighlok and the win for humanity, and so died happy, but her injuries were too severe. By the time she made it to hospital, she had zero hope for recovery. The doctors gave her some medicine to make her comfortable and she slipped away slowly in Kevin's arms.

Kevin died three months after. To distract himself from the pain of losing Mia, he spent all his time swimming. One minute he was in the pool doing laps. The next he was at the bottom of the pool, having drowned. Though it had been deemed an unfortunate accident, a part of Serena believed it was Kevin's choice. She buried him beside Mia and then bought a house in their name. A house in the suburbs, with a big yard and a white picket fence. She knew that was their plan. She wanted to give it to them as her final goodbye.

Mike and Emily lived on her parents' farm after they passed. Mike, in spite of growing up in the city, made an excellent farmer and managed to keep the farm up and running. He would have made Jack proud. Serena lived with them, in her old bedroom. They were the only family she had left and she couldn't leave them. From time to time, when he could pull himself away from Ji's bedside, Jayden would come up to visit.

It was a small family, but it was all they had. After sixteen years they had been reduced to a family of four. Serena wanted to make it five. She wanted her son to come home.

She stood on the doorstep of the mansion. Her hands trembled as she pressed the doorbell. A woman, about her age, answered the door with a smile.

Serena looked down at the paper in her hands and then up at the house number. She gulped and reminded herself it had been sixteen years.

"Mrs. Smith?" she took a gamble and it paid off – sadly. The woman nodded her head. Serena held her hand out, "I'm Serena. I'm looking for Terran."

Mrs. Smith's smile faded and she started to close the door, "I'm sorry. He's not home."

Serena put her foot in the door, "James…"

"Is at work. Neither wishes to speak with you."

Serena didn't think it could happen, but her broken heart shattered, "They… they…"

"James has obviously moved on," Mrs. Smith explained, "And you abandoned Terran."

"What?" Serena shook her head. She had done no such thing. She had given him to his father to protect him. He never would have survived these sixteen years had she kept him.

"Mom," Serena heard a voice from inside the house and it brought tears to her eyes. Sixteen years her son had been alive and this was the first time she heard his voice. His first word, mom, and he wasn't talking to her. He stepped by his mother, or rather, step-mother as Serena saw it, and opened the door wide. He found himself face to face with Serena. He stopped for a moment, looked her right in the eye.

"I'm sorry," he told her, "Whatever you're selling, we're not interested."

Serena looked up at her baby boy. He was tall and he was strong; just like Dekker and just like her father. She could already tell he had Dekker's confidence and her hard-head. The way he stood between her and his step-mother showed he was also protective. His eyes he got from Dekker, but his stare was all hers – a surprising blend of threatening and welcoming. And when he smiled at his step-mother, Serena saw Emily's smile. A smile she hadn't seen in sixteen years. It both warmed and broke her heart.

But he didn't remember her. How could he? He hadn't even been six months old when Serena gave him up. However, James hadn't bothered to keep him informed on who she was. It hurt.

"Terran…" she croaked but he had already said goodbye to his step mother and was opening the door to the car in the driveway. He pulled away and Serena heard the front door close. Mrs. Smith had taken her son and she had locked her out.

"Serena," Mike called as he got out of his car. The entire family had come to take Terran home and were waiting in the car, but after seeing their nephew walk away, they knew it wasn't happening. Mike took Serena's hand and guided her back to the car, where she sat in the back seat beside her sister who could no longer smile.

"He's never coming home, is he?" Emily asked. Serena shook her head.

"He has a new family now," it felt like someone had dropped the earth on her chest but she couldn't cry anymore. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried. Just like Emily's smile, it was never happening again.

"I know what to do," Mike muttered as he started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

The next day, the first story on the morning news spoke of a car that had been driven off a cliff, killing the driver and all three passengers.

-Samurai-

Emily gasped loudly, sitting up in her bed. Sweat poured down her face. She looked over to Mike who was still sleeping in their bed and sighed. She threw off the blankets and got up. She walked to the kitchen, detouring through the common room so she could check up on Serena. Since letting James leave with Terran, Serena had been sleeping there instead of her room. Though all of Terran's things were gone with him, there was still the crib. The empty crib that was a constant reminder of the child everyone felt they had lost.

In the kitchen, Emily made herself a tea, but instead of drinking it she just stared at it. It wouldn't help. She set it down and walked to her sister's bedroom. She rolled the crib out into the hallway and then out of the house. She pushed it down the stairs so it landed on the path outside. It was a sturdy crib, so it didn't break.

Not yet.

-Samurai-

Jayden was pulled from his sleep by a cry. He got himself out of bed and did a walk around the house until he saw Mike and Emily's bed was half empty. He heard another cry and a crack and stepped outside. Emily was destroying what looked to be pieces from Terran's crib.

"He might still need that," Jayden tried to be optimistic but that wasn't his specialty. It was Emily's. But she shook her head, dropping the piece she snapped in half.

"Burn it."

"Emily…"

"If he does come back I'll pay for another fucking crib, Jayden!" Emily screamed. "Burn it!"

Jayden nodded. He told Emily to step aside and cast a symbol. In an instant the pieces from the crib caught fire and burned brightly. Emily sniffed.

"Why did they break up?" she asked Jayden.

Jayden knew the answer. It was because of his secret. Unfortunately, and though it killed him, he couldn't share it yet.

"People drift apart."

"Drifting involves time," Emily whispered. "They were happy one minute. Terran's gone the next."

"Your family's suffering," Jayden turned to Emily. "I'm so sorry."

"It's my fault," Emily shook her head; "There's the no contact rule for a reason. I should have just let them all go. As soon as it was decided that I was yellow Ranger, I should have sent Serena home."

Jayden sighed, "Ji asked her to go to the Tengen Gate. It's been trouble for you and your family since that day. That's where she met Dekker."

"Do you think Terran wants to come back home?" Emily asked. "Sixteen years from now, will he still remember Serena?"

"He'll never forget her," Jayden promised. "He'll never forget us. He's coming home, Emily. He's…" Jayden clenched his fists, "Before his first birthday. I swear, Emily, you'll be there, with Mike, and Serena. You'll be showering Terran with presents and kisses and hugs and singing happy birthday to him."

"You can't make that promise, Jay," Emily looked up at him. "Serena won't take him back until the Nighlok are gone. We don't know how long that'll be. We don't even know if we'll…"

"You will survive," Jayden grabbed her by the arms, "I guarantee it, Emily. As long as I live and breathe, I will be watching over you, all of you. If I die, I'll be up there with Scruffy, guiding you to safety."

"Jayden…"

Jayden pulled her into his arms, "I promise," he whispered. She had no choice but to believe him now. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight,

"Okay."

"We'll start by having a fun day," Jayden smiled at her as he pushed her away, "The Nighlok have been quiet. If I'm right, Xandred's still soaking and Serrator's either dead, or badly injured. We can probably enjoy tomorrow. Where do you think everyone wants to go?"

"Roller blading."

Jayden furrowed his brow. Emily had given him some strange answers to his questions before, but this was the weirdest.

"Roller blading?"

She nodded her head, "There's a place in town. I saw an ad for it and it looks fun."

"I'll call the place in the morning, then," Jayden smiled, "Go to bed, Em."

Emily nodded. She gave Jayden another hug and then walked back inside to her room.

-Samurai-

"Happy birthday!" the Samurai cried as symbols exploded in the air, showering everyone with confetti. Xandred was gone, the Nighlok were gone with him, and everyone was at the Shiba House celebrating Terran's big day. The day he turned one.

Serena snuggled her son – her big boy. There was a smile on his face that couldn't be wiped away. When Serena put him down to cut the cake, Terran beat her to it, smashing his little hands into the celebratory dessert and then smearing it all over his face.

"He eats just like his uncle," James said as he walked into the common room carrying paper plates for everyone. He set them down on the table and gave Serena a kiss.

"I'm so proud," Mike kissed the top of Terran's head and then grabbed a handful of cake. "Who needs a plate, right little Monster?"

"Mike!" Emily cried with a giggle as she watched him stuff his face, and Terran mimicked him. He was a horrible influence on the little one.

"What?" he asked her with his mouth full. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Will you ever grow up?" she asked teasingly.

"You're marrying a five year old, Emy," Mia laughed, "Get used to it or get out now."

"I told you we should have eaten in the kitchen," Kevin was already wiping up the table with some paper towels. When he got the mess there, he wiped Terran's face and then Mike's, "It would be easier to clean.

"There's not enough room in the kitchen to party," Antonio said as he too took a handful of cake. "It's the little one's birthday and he says screw the cutlery."

"Why not?" Ji said and tossed the plastic forks over his shoulder, "You're only one once."

Emily and the rest of the Samurai couldn't help but laugh as Ji dug into the cake with his hands, stealing two big handfuls and stuffing them in his face. As she laughed at her Mentor's crazy antics, Emily glanced over at Mike. He winked at her. She rubbed her stomach and smiled.

"_I can't wait,"_ he mouthed to her.

"_After Terran's bedtime," _she mouthed back. _"We'll tell them all then."_

"_Your sister's going to kill me."_

"_I'll stop her. Besides, she'll kill me first for going against Xandred while carrying her niece or nephew. That should give you plenty of time to run."_

"Good plan," Mike said out loud. Emily laughed.

"Thanks, Mike. Glad I can count on you."

"Will you two stop spouting nonsense and go stand beside Terran," Serena said as she pulled out a camera, "It's picture time."

-Samurai-

For the first time since Terran left, Emily woke up with a smile on her face. Jayden had come into her room and quietly woke her up.

"You know that bouncing thing you did when you came back from Japan?" he asked her. "I'll get the car loaded up, you wake up the house. We're going roller blading and then out for a picnic."


	2. Happiness Comes From You

It was like someone had switched her body with Emily's.

"Mia!" Kevin cried as she once again found herself with her butt throbbing from hitting the floor. Roller blading was not one of her special skills. She was going to have to remember that.

"I'm okay," she said. Kevin grabbed her arm and helped her up. Emily rolled over, like she had been born with wheels for feet.

"You know the trick is staying on your feet, right? It's just like walking only… with wheels."

Mia gave Emily a look, "You know, that's ironic coming from you. Anyways, I'm just going to go sit down. It's much safer," Mia said. She grabbed the short wall around the rink and stumbled over to the door. She took off her roller blades and went to sit at the table.

Going roller blading had been Jayden's surprise for the Rangers. He had rented out the rink for the morning and then he was going to treat the Rangers to a picnic in the park. They had been through hell lately, between Serrator really putting pressure on them, Scruffy's death, and Terran and James leaving. They needed some down time to remember that they were allowed to have fun and the Samurai life wasn't all bad.

For the most part, Jayden's plan had worked. Though the Samurai still missed Terran, they were all smiling. All but one. Mia sat beside her at the table.

"You know, it's a lot harder than it looks, but it is fun," she smiled to Serena, hoping to get the older Samurai to enjoy herself.

"I don't feel like having fun," Serena shook her head. Mia sighed.

"C'mon. Just because Terran isn't home, that's no reason not to have fun…"

"Stop it, Mia."

Mia took Serena's hand and squeezed it gently, "Terran's safe. That's why you gave him up. He's safe and he's with his father who loves him. He's happy. That's everything you wanted for him, right?"

"But _I_ want him," Serena said. "I know he's my son and his needs come first, but this sucks! What if he hates me for this? How long will it be before I see him again?"

"He'll understand," Mia promised. Serena scoffed.

"Yeah, like you understood when your parents left you? Like how I understood when mom walked away?"

"Don't you dare compare yourself to your mother. Don't compare this to what she did," Mia shook her head, "This is different, Serena."

"That's still no help," Serena said. "You left your parents because they left you. You didn't understand."

"I…" Mia lowered her head. It was true. When her parents left her to come to the Shiba House she had been furious with them. From the age of five she had been living with her grandmother because she no longer wanted to be in her parent's care. Though she had eventually forgiven them, she had never gone back to them.

Serena looked out at the rink and watched Emily skate circles around Mike, "I want him safe, Mia. Even in that means I'll never see him again. But you have no idea how badly this hurts. But Serrator's getting stronger, Xandred's already strong and they're getting closer and closer to really hitting us where it hurts. We have the shields up, we have the Gap Sensors, but one day, I know it's not going to be enough. I can't keep Terran with me knowing that might kill him."

"You really think he's safer with James?"

"Terran's not a Nighlok anymore and he's too young to use symbol power. The Nighlok know he's useless. And James… he isn't anything to them."

"Terran's still your son. The Nighlok know that if they go after him, you'll follow."

"They'll go after him whether or not he's in my care then," Serena said. "At least, if he's out of the house, he's harder to find. James knows what to do if the Nighlok get too close. He promised he would keep him safe and I trust him."

Mia looked to Serena sympathetically, "Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry, Serena. But you can't spend all this time without him moping around. Your misery isn't going to bring him back faster. It's only going to hurt you more, and maybe the team."

Serena turned to Mia. She didn't want to hurt the team.

"I'll be the same white Ranger on the battle field, you know that."

"And you know our lives off the battle field have a huge influence on our lives on the battle field," Mia said. She pointed to the rink, where she had seen Emily glancing over from time to time, "You know, your sister's trying to cheer you up, right? You can be the best Samurai off the battle field, but if you're not Serena at home, you're going to hurt her."

"If you didn't need a yellow Ranger, I'd have James take her too."

"She's eighteen now," Mia chuckled, "You can't ship her off because you want to. This is her decision."

"I guess it is," Serena sighed and she continued to watch Emily skate. With her parents back at home, Terran out of the way of danger, and James out of her life, Emily was all she had left to worry about. Fortunately, Emily was no longer a child. Though that would never stop Serena from worrying, it was a bit of comfort knowing this was finally Emily's decision.

"I know it sounds weird," Mia said, "But you want to be happy without Terran. You should never rely on anyone else for your happiness. It's too much pressure for them, and that's not a home Terran wants to come back to. You can be happy with him, and you should be happy without him."

Serena turned to Mia and looked her in the eyes. It did sound weird but it also made a lot of sense. Her life wasn't Terran's responsibility. Though she missed him terribly, she was allowed to be happy. Bringing Terran back into a home where he was responsible for cheering her up every day was too much of a burden for the child. She brought him into this world. His happiness was her responsibility, not the other way around.

"C'mon," Mia got up from the chair and strapped the rollerblades back on her feet, "Let's see if you're just as bad as I am."

Serena chuckled and shook her head, "It can't be that hard, can it? I mean, Emily can do it."

"You have no idea," Mia said. Serena put her rollerblades on and stepped into the rink, but the moment her wheels touched the floor she wiped out, taking Mia down with her.

"It's not rocket science," Emily laughed as she rolled over and pulled both her sisters back up to their feet. When they stood still they could stand up. When they moved, they found they had a problem. "It's easy, see!"

She skated around in a circle, showing the two older girls how it was done. Serena and Mia exchanged looks and then shook their heads.

"You know, I'm having a lot of fun right here," Serena pointed to the spot beneath her feet, "Let's just stay here for a while, huh, Mia?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Emily crossed her arms over her chest and then got an idea. She rolled up to her sister and reached into her pocket.

"EMILY!"

"Ten bucks," Emily held up the ten dollar bill, "The five you owe me, plus interest."

"Boy, after fifteen years the interest only adds up to five dollars?" Mia chuckled.

"She was never good in math," Serena said. She reached out to snatch the bill back, but Emily skated just out of reach. "Give me my money, short stuff. After all the ice-creams and treats I've bought you over the years I'm sure you owe me."

Emily continued to skate away – backwards! "If you can get me, you can have it all back. Plus interest!"

Emily pulled a five dollar bill out of her pocket. Serena looked to her rollerblades and decided she would go for it. She was shaky going out, until she felt two arms grab her. Antonio and Jayden had rolled by and were helping her stay on her feet.

"Oh no!" Emily cried and turned around and darted around the rink.

"Mia, grab her and the interest is yours!"

"You're cheating!" Emily said and skated far out of Mia's way as she came back around.

Kevin rolled up to Mia and held his hand out, offering her some help. The pink Ranger accepted it and started her pursuit after Emily, skating in the opposite direction.

With Serena coming after her, and Mia coming towards her, Emily was trapped. She closed her eyes and curled up into a ball while still skating forward. She heard a crash and a few groans. She opened her eyes and saw Mike looking past her, laughing his ass off. Turning around, she saw Kevin and Mia had collided right into Serena, Jayden, and Antonio, sending them all to the ground. She laughed and put the fifteen dollars back in her pocket. She rolled over to Mike who wrapped his arms around her.

"That's my klutzilla," he gave her a kiss.

Kevin pulled himself away from Serena. In the fall, he had landed on top of her, with his face inches from hers.

"Awkward," Antonio chuckled. He tapped his helmet, "Good thing we're all wearing one of these, right?"

"Can we go on that picnic now?" Mia muttered, rubbing her lower back. "I think it's less dangerous."

-Samurai-

Jayden watched his friends laughing in the park. On their way over, they had stopped in a store and bought a new Frisbee (the old one had been buried with Scruffy's things). They were all having fun playing another game they made up. Jayden wasn't sure how it worked, but they were all enjoying themselves and he knew that was important.

He couldn't help but feel guilty for what had happened. His secret had torn Serena and James apart and took Terran out of the house. Though Serena had assured him once it was her decision to make Terran leave, Jayden knew it wasn't a decision she would have had to make if he had just kept his mouth shut. There was nothing he could do about the fact that Serena knew the truth, but it wasn't going to tear anymore lives apart. At least, not until it had to. And though he knew it was a secret that would have to be revealed, he hoped he could tell the Rangers gently. He hoped he could find a way to let it out without them feeling hurt of betrayed by him.

"C'mon, we're up by eleven and a quarter points and we need you," Antonio grabbed Jayden's arm and pulled him up from the picnic blanket.

"What?" Jayden asked with a chuckle. "You're up? Aren't you winning?"

"Points are bad."

"Okay… um…" Jayden saw the frisbee flying overhead and jumped to catch it. Antonio and Mia, who was apparently also on his team, groaned. Kevin, Mike, Serena, and Emily all cheered. Jayden looked around curiously, "Wait, what happened."

"You're not supposed to catch it!" Antonio said. He took the frisbee and launched it into the tree.

"Wait… what?"

"Yes!" Antonio cheered and high-fived Mia, "Nine and ten-twelfth points up. We can still win this!"

"What?" Jayden asked again. Mia just turned to him.

"Don't worry about the rules. Just don't touch the frisbee."

"I was doing that from the blanket," Jayden scratched his head, "Why do you need me?"

Mike retrieved the disk from the tree and threw it to Mia, Antonio, and Jayden, smacking the red Ranger in the head. Jayden groaned, along with Mike's team.

"Huh?"

"Five and six-elevenths!" Antonio cheered.

Jayden gave all his Rangers a funny looked before sitting in the grass. Somehow, that led his team to victory. He would never figure out how.


End file.
